Ghosts Can't Feel Electricity
by Artgirl4
Summary: Static Shock and Gear have come to Amity Park to get some tips. But from who? Their inspiration, Danny Phantom.
1. Chapter 1

This is a preview for my new story: Ghosts Can't Feel Electricity

**This is a preview for my new story: Ghosts Can't Feel Electricity. Enjoy!**

**Ghost Can't feel Electricity**

Static Shock made his way home. Ahhh the joy of living Dakota, where bang-babies ran amok and him and Gear were the ones always supposed to be there to stop them.

Static was starting to wish for a way out of Dakota, just for a little while, away from the excitement. Too bad nothing like that was going to happen. Or not…

"Hey Virgil!" Richie Foley called out, waving towards his best bud coming down the street.

"Hey Rich! What's with all the panting, you look like you ran a marathon bro!" He said, knocking fists with Richie.

Richie smiled. "Guess what? I just won two tickets to a vacation spot! And you can come with me!" He said, waving them in Virgil's face. Virgil snatched them and looked at them more closely.

"Amity Park? Where's that?" He said, scratching his head. Then realization dawned on him.

"Rich? Is Amity Park where I think it is? Does you-know-who live there?" Virgil said, grabbing Richie and shaking him.

Richie grinned and nodded, and the two guys high-fived.

"Dude, we're going to see Danny Phantom!" Richie said, waving the tickets in a victory dance. Virgil broke into a grin too. Danny Phantom had hit the hero business a year before him, beating down the bad guys one by one.

Virgil was always knew Danny Phantom was the good guy, something just told him, and it was going to be so cool if Static could meet him! Wait a minute…

Virgil groaned. "Richie, who's going to watch out for Dakota while Static and Gear are gone?" He said, sighing.

"Don't worry dude, I took care of it. She-Bang has assured me time and time again she can handle the city while we're gone." Richie said, still grinning.

Virgil smiled back, and said "Great now all I have to do is convince my pops!"

--

"But Pops!" Virgil said, flopping down on the couch, "Static could meet Danny Phantom! Get a few pointers from him you know?" He said pleadingly.

"I don't know Virgil. These are ghosts we're talking about, not bang-babies. I'm not sure this ghost kid is even a real hero." Virgil's dad said, rubbing his temples.

"I know he is Pops! I've just got this feeling! Besides, I think Static needs a little vacation! It's summer and I've barely gotten to relax!" Virgil said, throwing his hands up.

And it was true. Between his search for a job and the superhero job, Virgil hadn't gotten much time to himself. And he was getting sick of it.

Virgil's dad sighed, and sunk into his armchair. Finally he broke into a smile.

"Oh alright, but be careful." He said. Virgil jumped up and hugged his dad.

"Thanks Pops!" He said, and then zoomed upstairs to get his stuff packed. Unfortunately Sharon was coming downstairs, and…well… "OOMPH!" Sharon said as she was pushed to the side of the railing.

"Sorry bye!" Virgil said, not stopping until he was inside his room.

"What's his problem?" Sharon said, looking down at her father. He simply shrugged and reached for the newspaper. Sharon sighed. She never got answers concerning her brother from her dad anymore.

--

Danny Fenton smacked his hand down on the arcade button. There was a beeping sound as the screen went bank.

"Yes! I Win!" Danny said, doing a victory dance.

"Ahh man!" Tucker said, slouching as Danny rubbed his victory in his face.

"I don't see the point in this." Sam said from her corner of watching the boys play. Danny smiled.

"Ahh c'mon Sam, we're boys it's what we do. Besides you whoop both of us, all the time, so we're entitled to our fun." Danny said, pulling up a crying Tucker.

"Yeah Sam, lighten up." Tucker said, suddenly non-crying. Sam rolled her eyes.

"You guys have been at it all day, how about we go on patrol?" Sam said crossing her arms. "You aren't going to give us a choice, are you?" Tucker said. "Yep!" Sam said, and grabbed the two of them by their shirt collars, and dragging them outside.

"Fine." Danny said, twisting out of her strong grip. "Sam you and Tucker get the scooters and we'll check from here down to the Nasty Burger.". Sam crossed her arms.

"Are we just going there to eat?" She said skeptically. "Yep." Said Danny and Tucker, and with that, Danny ran into an alley.

A light flashed from the alley as Sam and Tucker grabbed their scooters and zoomed off.

They started scoping the area as they put the Fenton Fones into their ears.

"Danny do you copy?" Sam said, tapping her fones. "Loud and clear." Came Danny **Phantom**'s voice, echoing. Sam smiled, and kept looking out.

"There's nothing here dude." Came Tucker's voice from the other side of the street.

"Yeah, nothing here either." Sam said into the fone. They kept patrolling until they came to the Nasty Burger.

"Well, all that patrolling has made me hungry. Let's eat!" Tucker said, jumping out of his scooter. "Fine." Sam said resignedly. And jumped off her scooter too.

--

"I'll have a salad, please." Sam said, handing the cashier the money and then taking the food to their table. Tucker was already stuffing his face, making bits of meat fly onto Danny's non-focusing face.

"You ok Danny?" Sam said, touching him lightly. Danny jumped.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little worried. Nothing's been happening today, I mean, not a single ghost! I know I should be happy about this, but I'm kind of worried." Danny said sighing.

"Lighten up man." Tucker said, slapping Danny on the back. "It's probably nothing."

"I guess you're right." Danny said, and then finally realizing the meat on his face, took a napkin and wiped the stuff off.

"Hey, I've been working on a new trick. Want to see it?" Danny said to Sam. "Sure." Sam said, and watched as Tucker ate.

As soon as a little piece of meat flew out of his mouth, Danny made a little green shield, and with a flick, the meat bounced right back onto Tucker.

"Hey!" Tucker whined, momentarily pausing from his meat bonanza and grabbing a napkin.

Sam and Danny just laughed.

--

About 20 minutes later, the 3 of them were walking down the street, when they saw two teenage looking boys. They looked about their age, but they hadn't seen them before.

"Hi, are you new here?" Danny said to them. "Yeah. We won tickets to come here. My name's Virgil and this is Richie." The brown haired and dark skinned guy said.

"Wasup?" The blonde guy said." "Welcome to Amity Park. It's kind of weird that they would be selling tickets to come here. Usually people are buying tickets to leave here, what with all the ghosts and such. My name is Danny and this is Sam and Tucker." Danny said, shaking hands with Virgil.

"I think they're selling tickets because all the tourists come here to see if they're really ghosts. And to see Danny Phantom most probably. That's kinda what we came here to do. See Danny Phantom." Virgil said, shrugging.

"Well, I don't think Danny Phantom comes out unless it's a ghost attack or something to that extent. But you're free to come look for him! Oh and words of advice, don't go to Fenton Works!" Danny whispered.

"Anyway, I have to get going, bye!" Danny said, walking away with Sam and Tucker.

"Bye, see you around some time!" Virgil said, and he and Richie walked away too.

"Nice guy." Virgil said to Richie, who nodded. They were rounding the police station when they heard a "Sector 42, I repeat Sector 42, a robbery taking place! A robbery taking place! Proceed with caution." Coming from one of the police men.

The two exchanged looks. "Why don't I go handle this? You take a break Richie." Virgil said, and Richie nodded, he walked away, back in the direction of the hotel they were staying at, and Virgil ran into an alley.

--

Later, Static Shock was high in the skies, where no one could see him. He flew fast towards the warehouse where the crime was taking place. Apparently the cops hadn't gotten there yet.

He quickly ducked behind one of the boxes, watching the three burly man lift crates into a sack.

"I think it's time to tell Amity Park that Static has arrived." Static whispered to himself, and flicked his finger, making a small spark.


	2. Two Teen Infiltrators

Chapter 2: Two Teen Infiltrators

**Chapter 2: Two Teen Infiltrators**

Virgil readied himself to jump into battle. Meaning he sat on his butt and spied.

5 Muscular men picking up crates filled with-no doubt about it-valuables. They seemed intent on taking as many as they could carry, picking up the boxes and stuffing them into black bags. Their black masks made it hard to identify their faces.

Static gently gave one of the men a little shock as he picked up the box, making the guy drop it onto his foot and yell in pain.

"What are you doing Joe? Get the crate and stop making noise!" A burly man called. The guy huffed and nodded, going for the crate again.

This time however, Virgil made the whole object course with electricity visibly, making the guy jump back.

"Hey Lou! The box! Somethin's wrong with the stuff!" The guy shouted, trembling as the white electricity crackled and popped.

"Whoa!" "Lou" said as he took a look at the box. Virgil decided the fun was over and he stood up, letting the guys see him.

"Hey! It's just a kid in a costume!" A man shouted, pointing at Static.

"Excuse me, but kid in a costume isn't very proffesional. I prefer the term "liberator of justice. Or at least** teenager** in a costume." Static said indignantly, smirking.

The guys stared at him, smiling evilly. Little did Static know that a sixth person was creeping up on him, with a big club raised above his head.

An invisible person chuckled up high.

"Well, I think it's time for me to make my entrance, though it's not as gallant I'm afraid." Said the spooky voice, and suddenly a boy materialized and fell to the floor from at least 30 feet up. The teen landed on his hands and yelled a quick "Duck!" Static complied just as quickly as the teenager split-kicked and hit the man-that had been about to hit static- in the jaw and unconscious.

"Thanks dude." Virgil said sheepishly, but the guy ignored him. Virgil stared as he finally realized who it was. Danny Phantom!

Danny moved quickly as the men got nervous, realizing it was Danny too.

'We ain't afraid of you!" One shouted, and again, the now invisible Danny chuckled.

"Would you look at that. Big, strong, and illiterate! The perfect stereotype for a common thief." Danny commented, appearing behind the guy and as he turned, aiming a punch to his stomach that made the guy crumple to the floor. Both men made a grab for the kid, but Danny did a flip and crashed their heads together with his hands.

"4 down, 2 to go." Danny said, smiling. He crouched, eying the men coming at him from both points.

"You want a shot?" He actually called out to Static. Virgil, who had been watching the whole fiasco, suddenly felt nervous.

"M-Me?" He cleared his throat, and smiled.

"I'd be delighted." Static stated, and he reached out a hand. Suddenly both men were picked up, yelling and punching thin air. Danny turned and raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"Interesting power you got there. Wait here a minute." He said, turning back. Quickly he leaped up, and pulled a man back down onto the ground, making him unconscious in the process. Then he leaped again, landed right above the man whom tried to land a lopsided punch on him, and chopped him on the neck, making the man go limp.

Danny and the men landed on the ground, Danny landing in a crouched stance.

Danny stood up and brushed off his pants, looking slightly bored, slightly amused.

"Thanks Dude." He said, walking over to Static.

"No Thank you!" He said vigorously, and Danny grinned.

Then he squinted.

"Hey! I know you! You're Static Shock! Nice to meet you dude!" He said, extending a hand. Virgil slapped the hand in a high five and grasped it strongly.

"I'm such a huge fan! I cant believe you know **me **though." Danny's eyes widened in amusement when he suddenly started to shake said hand very vigorously. In fact, Danny had to lie down in the air so that he wouldn't go flying around with the hand.

Danny grinned lopsidedly in amusement, one hand holding up his chin and said,

"Hey, just because I don't have blood doesn't me you can't cut off my circulation with that grip of yours."

After an apologetic/sheepish smile, Static released Danny's hand. Danny floated back to the ground and walked over to the men, he kneeled down and turned to Static.

"Do you have some rope?" He asked. Static shook his head.

"Wait I'll go look for some." Static said, and started to rummage through the boxes. He hd found the rope when suddenly Danny gave something like a grunt.

"There's two missing." He grunted.

Danny spun around quickly, and his eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second. He raced over and grabbed Virgil's arm, using Virgil to fly over his head, spin, and knock both of the creeping guys unconscious.

Then, he calmly got up, walked back to Virgil, took the rope and thanked him, and started to tie all of the bandits' hands and feet.

Static was staring for a while, then suddenly shook his head and walked over, watching over Danny's shoulder as he worked.

"Sooo…why don't you use the green stuff to tie them up?" He asked, trying to make conversation. Danny didn't look away from the tying, instead replying in a preoccupied voice,

"Well, that 'green stuff' as you put it, is not something to use on humans. It can affect them and damage them badly. It's only supposed to be used against ectoplasmic entities." When he was met with a long silence, Danny clarified.

"Ghosts."

Static couldn't stop the long string of "Ohhhhhh…" And blushed when Danny chuckled.

"Of course, for people like you, it's better to use your powers, as well as safer. I wouldn't tell you not to, I just to do it my way because the only thing I think is necessary for humans is to knock them unconscious until the police come. My powers would hurt them more then is needed."

Static nodded thoughtfully, not realizing Danny couldn't see him.

"So, you going back to your hotel?" Danny asked, nothing implied. Static nodded again, then stared at his back in shock, releasing a

"WHA?" Danny didn't even turn.

"Well, since you live in Dakota, I can only assume you came here temporarily, and in your secret identity, presumably living in a hotel for the time being." Static continued to nod, confirming everything, and finally realized Danny couldn't see him.

"Yeah…"

"It's hard sometimes isn't it? Having a human identity that you have to keep a secret. What with school, your grades start to plummet, and you get heat from the teachers. And your parents, or parent, who don't know what's going on and also get mad at you, whether it's for missing out on important things because you have to go superhero, or being late and missing curfue. Not to mention if you have siblings. And friends who don't know your identity, who worry about you, or think you're not paying enough attention to your friendship. And there's days you want to scream it out to the world, but you know you can't." Danny said, and for once, there was no hiss of ropes moving. He was just looking ahead.

Finally realizing that he was receiving no answer, he snapped of his trance and turned, looking at Static. Static, whom had his eyes bulging and mouth dropped open in a most comical fashion.

"What?" Danny snapped, slightly annoyed, slightly amused.

"You-You described it perfectly." Static said, and he was surprised to see Danny blush, as if he had just said something bad.

"I get…a lot of time to think I guess." He said, looking away.

"Being a superhero, or something close, I can't help but think about other situations when you have to be one. We have a little in common when I think about it."

Static cocked his head.

Danny explained. "Well, you're a bang-baby that chose to fight for good while others didn't, and I'm a ghost, but I decided to fight against bad ghosts as well." Danny said, shrugging. Virgil nodded thoughtfully.

"Hey what are you doing out of Dakota anyway?" Danny said curiously. Virgil shrugged.

"Little vacation from superheroing." Virgil said. Danny chuckled.

"If there's anything I learned it's that if someone wishes to pick a fight with a superhero, you can be amazed at how far they will travel just to get to you." Danny said, shaking his head and smiling.

"How do you know?"

"You pick up a few things after fighting for as long as I have. You learn a few things too." Danny said, and his eyes acquired a far away look. Danny shook his head as if to rid the thoughts and said,

"The police are going to be here soon. I'm still not entirely loved by this population so you can stay but I have to go." Danny said. Static sighed, then his face lit up.

"Wait! Watch this." Virgil said, slowly, he stuck the thieves to the wall of the warehouse. Then, he used electricity to both write his Static Symbol, and the Danny Phantom Symbol. This time, Danny laughed loudly.

"You sure know how to have fun on the job. If my friends were here they would probably be telling me to get some pointers from you." Danny said. Virgil's eyebrows shot up. Phantom has friends? Ghost ones?

Danny chuckled at Virgil's expression.

"Hey, I **am** a teenager. I know how to socialize. Not very well mind you, but good enough." He said.

Police sirens sounded off in the distance, and Danny's head went to the warehouse door.

"Well, my work here is done. See ya Static. And if Gear is here too, tell him I look forward to us meeting." He saluted in a comical way, with the same lopsided grin adorning his face and disappeared.

Static looked at the warehouse door too, and decided for now he wouldn't accept the publicity. After all, if Phantom wasn't accepting any credit, then he would be just as strong and not either.

Still, as he flew away from the crime scene, Virgil couldn't help but hear Danny's words replay in his head.

"_If there's anything I learned it's that if someone wishes to pick a fight with a superhero, you can be amazed at how far they will travel just to get to you."_

Still, after almost banging into a building in thought, Virgil decided it wasn't that important and got to the hotel in one piece.

Richie was in a room next to his, and when he knocked he received a very loud snore as an answer. So, he went back into his room and into bed as well. His snoring was no competition versus Richie's, but he had him beat when it came to drooling.

**Well, I thought this was LONG overdue. Yep, that's right! Ghost's Can't Feel Electricity won the vote! Congrats, and don't worry to the people who voted for my other story. Saving/Finding Danielle will come along soon!**


	3. Territory Trespassing

Territory Trespassing

**Territory Trespassing**

"For real?!" Richie said, listening to Static's detailed account of meeting Danny Phantom in the Nasty Burger the next day.

"Yeah! I got to see him live and in action dude!" Virgil said, as equally excited as Richie.

"Man! I wish I was there! Is he really looking forward to meeting me?!" Richie said.

"Yep! Told me to tell you that! He's so mysterious you know? One minute, he's all acting like a teen, and then the next minute, he's getting all deep and wise like some old dude. He's really cool!" Virgil said.

"Well, why don't we go for a walk?" Richie said, stressing his tired arms and releasing when hearing a satisfying pop.

"Sure." Virgil said, and after paying for the meal, walked out onto the sidewalk in a different direction.

"Hey, isn't that the local high school?" Richie said, pointing at a big looming brick building.

"Yeah I think. I heard it's called Casper High." Virgil replied, stopping as they got onto the school grounds.

"Hey! What do you nerds think you're doing, passing on my turf?" A big overmuscled teen said, walking towards them in a kind of swaying movement.

"Is his pants on too tight or something?" Richie whispered to Virgil. Virgil shrugged.

"Hey! I asked you a question!" The guy said, and Virgil got a good look at his jacket. On it said Dash.

"Oh great. A jock." Virgil whispered to Richie, Richie nodding.

"That's it you Silent Geeks!" Dash said, lifting them both up with his hands. His breathed washed over their faces, and they winced at the smell.

"We're new here. We're sorry, we didn't know it was **your** turf." Richie said, clearly not wanting a fight.

Virgil however, kept on seeing images of Hot Streak in this guy, and so he snapped back,

"Yeah, our bad, we thought it belonged to the school." He snarled.

"What did you say, wimp?" Dash growled, getting closer in his face.

"V…" Richie said warningly.

"I said if you're that anxious to get back into the school that you wander around it all day, then you're the one that's the geek, geek!" Virgil said, and before he knew it, he had been thrown hard to the sidewalk. His head pounded and he grimaced.

Looking up, he realized his eyesight must've also been messed up, because now he was seeing triple.

Uh-oh, he wasn't, there were more jocks coming up beside Dash, a whole gang of them.

"Looks like this nerd has earned himself a free beating. No matter, I'm always open during the summer." Dash said, cracking his knuckles as the other bullies sneered.

Virgil didn't let it show, but inside he was panicking. He heard Richie gulp very loudly next to him.

--

"Really?! Static Shock?!" Tucker said, listening to Danny's very detailed account at the Nasty Burger.

"Who's he?" Sam said boredly, using her elbow to prop herself up on the table.

"You've never heard of him?! He's the bang baby superhero of Dakota, along with Gear!" Tucker said. Sam gave him a Do-I-want-to-know? look.

"There was a leak of nuclear gas that gave many people in Dakota supernatural powers. They call them bang babies. Many of them were no good gang fighters, and with the powers they got, they turned into super villains like in the comics. But a few like Static Shock and Gear were good, and turned into superheros to fight the super villains!" Tucker spewed out.

"How can you say that in one breath Tucker?" Danny said, looking at him strangely. Tucker glowered.

Sam sighed.

"So let me get this straight. Some Super hero with electrical powers came here for a vacation and to meet you, his idol?"

Danny nodded,

"That was the impression I got." He said.

"So what's the problem?"

Tucker slammed his hands onto the table.

"Don't you get it Sam? The problem is…the problem…they…what is the problem Danny?" Tucker said, turning to Danny confusedly while Sam rolled her eyes.

"There isn't a problem Tuck. I'm just a little worried about them finding out my secret. I got too deep into thought last night and almost made it seem like I had a secret identity, which I did!" Danny said, throwing his hands up.

Sam put a hand on his shoulder, making him blush, but he turned serious at her expression.

"Don't you think you're delving too deeply into this? They just came to meet you and relax a while, it can't mean anything that bad for you! You need to relax Danny." Danny sighed.

"But what if this is tied into the lack of ghosts. What if it's Vlad, or even one of Static's enemies?"

"Or maybe you're just over analyzing everything?" Tucker said.

"Danny, just wait until patrol tonight. If a ghost doesn't show up again, then we'll let you worry a bit. Until then, just CALM DOWN!" Both shouted at the end. Danny grinned and nodded.

"Hey, why don't we walk for a while?" Sam said, both teens nodded.

As they walked Tucker froze in his tracks.

"Wait! We're heading back to **that place!** We can't go there! Not now!" Tucker shouted.

Danny looked at Sam questioningly, Sam shrugged.

"Tucker, what are you talking about?" Sam asked incredulously.

"The place of learning!" Tucker said, covering his eyes. Danny looked in the direction and caught sight of it.

"You mean the school?"

"No!" Tucker said, slapping a hand over Danny's mouth.

"Don't say the word of evil." Tucker whispered, while Danny rolled his eyes.

A layer of ice covered Tucker's hands as Danny's eye changed into neon blue.

"Hey! Quit it!" Tucker said, releasing Danny and blowing on his hand.

"You deserved it. It's just the high school!" Sam said. Tucker whimpered as he blew on his hand.

Suddenly they all heard something.

"Looks like this nerd has earned himself a free beating. No matter, I'm always open during the summer."

"Dash." Danny growled, breaking into a run, Sam following, and Tucker at least trying to far behind.

Danny hid behind a tree as he saw Dash pull back his fist to hit Virgil, who was lying on the sidewalk, eyes wide in fear.

Danny got between them, standing with his arms spread out.

"Oh look! Fenturd is here!" Dash said, and Danny looked coldly at him.

"Danny?" He heard Richie whisper from behind.

"It's summer Dash, can't you just leave them alone? They aren't even from here!" Danny said.

Dash grinned a evil smile.

"Fine then, I'll just give you two extra beatings."

Virgil watched as the fist went to connect with Danny's face. But he saw as Danny's eyes narrowed, his leg's tensed, and he looked ready to jump. Instead, he simply twisted his body so that the punch connected to his stomach and not his face.

Danny skidded a little on the pavement, but stood his ground. He doubled over, looking to be in pain.

Virgil looked at Danny questioningly, wondering why he hadn't dodged it, when he could've.

Dash and his buddies laughed.

"Well, I guess we're done here, losers." He spat, and they walked away. After a good while, Danny straightened, looking as if he was in pain. He offered Virgil and Richie a hand, and they took it, being pulled to their feet. Richie hadn't noticed, and so instead said,

"Dude! You didn't have to help us out like that! Does it hurt?" Concernedly.

Danny smiled, and shook his head.

"I'll be alright after a while, I'm used to it."

"Why did you do that?" Virgil asked, his face confused.

"Jump in like that? Well-"

"No. Not that." Virgil said, shaking his head.

"You could've dodged that punch if you wanted to, but you didn't. Instead you made it hit your stomach and pretended it hurt a lot more than it did. Why?" Virgil said. He watched closely as Danny's smile faltered for a second, and then came back. This time however, Virgil knew it was fake. Danny sighed and frowned a little.

"You're right, I could've, but Dash wouldn't have let us be then. He takes such pride in his work, so why not just let him think he's better than us, so that he'll leave us alone?" Danny said, shrugging.

"So, you just let him do that to you?" Virgil said, getting mad.

"I let him believe in his fantasies. I don't really care much." Danny said, and his eyes acquired a faraway look that gave Virgil a sense of déjà vu.

"Hey…didn't he say Fenturd, as in Fenton? Your last name is Fenton?" Richie said, looking at Danny shocked. Danny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well yeah, it is."

"But didn't you tell us not to visit the Fentons?" Virgil said, understanding what Richie was getting at.

Danny nodded.

"Yeah, because, well my parents are a little, actually a lot eccentric. Trust me, you don't want to meet them." Danny said, shaking his head.

"Eccentric how?" Richie said suspiciously.

"Eccentric as in ghost hunters." Tucker said, popping up that made Virgil and Richie jump backwards in surprise.

"Yep. About as eccentric as you can get." Sam said, also popping up.

Danny nodded, head hung in shame.

"But we want to learn a bit about ghosts." Virgil said, and all three teens shook their heads, saying in unison,

"Not from them."

"Anyway, we gotta go, right guys?" Danny said, meaningfully.

"Yeah. See ya later!" Tucker said, waving.

"Bye!" Richie said, waving back.

"Hey dude, what's up with you?" Richie said to a silent Virgil as they left.

"I don't think Danny was telling the truth about the punch. I think he meant all of us to believe that he couldn't take a punch like that, and he was surprised that I noticed it." Richie shrugged.

"So what?" He asked.

"I don't know. But something is going on with that Danny Fenton. Something he doesn't want us to know about." Virgil said.

"We barely know the guy, why should we stick our noses in his business V?" Richie asked.

Virgil shrugged.

"Just a feeling I guess."

--

"So Danny, why were you so anxious to get away from them?" Sam asked.

"Virgil. He noticed that I was faking the punch hurting, and that I could've dodged it." Tucker cocked his head.

"So you made a little mistake, so what?"

"That's the thing. I didn't. I usually cover it up like that and no one notices, so how come he did? Something strange is going on with him." Danny said, thoughfully.

"We just met them, we shouldn't go sticking our nose into their business to figure out something that might not even exist!"

Danny sighed.

"You're right. It was just a feeling I guess.

**Okay, sorry I haven't updated! I got home a few days ago from vacation, so I was a little busy! I'm sorry! If I had any faithful readers to begin with, forgive me for betraying you! I hope you read this! R&R!**

**Artgirl4**


	4. Shock A Ghost

Shock-A-Ghost

**Shock-A-Ghost**

Danny stared in shock at the two teens at his door. One was smirking, the other looked somewhat nervous.

"What are you two doing here?!" Danny hissed.

"We're here to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton about ghost-hunting. Is something wrong with that?" Virgil asked, looking quite satisfied with himself. He gave an innocent smile, though in reality he was really here to learn more about Danny. He couldn't help but feel something was up with him.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Danny said, and then his own mouth turned upwards, making a cruel smile.

Richie shivered and put his hand on a suddenly insecure Virgil's shoulder.

"V, maybe this isn't a good idea…" Richie said. Danny grinned and said,

"Too late! MOM, DAD, there are some GHOST ENTHUSIASTS here!"

Faster than the speed of fudge came Jack, grabbing both kids, flipping them over his shoulder, running inside and flopping them onto the couch, leaving them rather disoriented. Danny leaned against a wall, still smirking and whispered to Virgil,

"I gave you a warning…next time you should try heeding it." Danny said.

Virgil glared at him.

Richie whispered back in disbelief,

"Dude, he's your **Dad?"**

"So, you two youngsters are ghost enthusiasts eh? Then you've come to the right place! My name is Jack Fenton! Welcome to FentonWorks! This is our home where all ghost experiments are con-con-con-done with a very painful laser!" Jack said, boasting happily.

For a second Virgil thought he heard Danny gulp behind him, but maybe he was just imagining it.

"Well, we're not interested in catching ghosts really." Jack's face fell.

"But we do want to learn more about them!" Richie said, and Jack's face once again lit up.

"That's great! But hey, are you sure you don't want to hunt ghosts? You two both have such able bodies, full of young strength! Besides, there's nothing quite like your first dissection, first you take this scalpel, see, then-"

"Jack!" Maddie said, walking in with a tray piled high with sweets. She placed the tray down on the coffee table and stood next to her husband, who was sitting in one of the armchairs.

"Can't you see the two boys are going white?" Maddie scolded. It was true though, both boys were quite pale, their thoughts wrapped around what Jack might have been about to see, images whirling around in their poor heads. Danny, all too familiar with this lecture, was snickering behind his palm at their faces.

"Hello, I'm Maddie Fenton, Jack's wife. Feel free to help yourself to anything. Don't worry, under my son's influence it has all been store bought." Maddie said, giving a pointed glance at Danny, who started muttering something about guests not liking cookies that bit back.

Virgil and Richie both tentatively reached for a cookie, nibbling slowly, trying to rid themselves of the disgusting thoughts Jack had put in their heads.

"Anyway, I believe both of you have met my son Danny." Maddie said, gesturing to Danny whom gave a small nod as confirmation.

"Well, then shall we begin? What do you wish to know?" Maddie asked, leaning forward.

"Well, what are ghosts?" Richie asked.

"Ectoplasmic Entities." Both Maddie and Virgil answered at the same time. Virgil blushed, and Maddie looked at him strangely, smiling slightly.

"I see you've already read a few things?" Maddie trailed off, and Virgil shook his head, still red.

"No, a…friend of mine mentioned it a while ago."

Virgil noticed Danny staring at him, eyes wide.

"What?"

"Nothing." Danny said dismissively.

Virgil shrugged and turned back, but Danny still stared at him, an odd sense of déjà vu flooding his senses.

"Well as Virgil said, ghosts are ectoplasmic entities. They are often the spirit of a dead person, most probably one who has been angered and is out for revenge, thus unable to move on. Sometimes however, they are strong pent up emotions or feelings that have gathered up and formed. Ectoplasm is a green substance, one that can give life. It is what all ghosts are made of." Maddie stated.

"However, ectoplasm can also be changed into a harmful state, which can be used to hurt ghosts and ghosts only. Ectoplasm is the power used in all ghost weapons, either in the form of raw energy or solid substance." Maddie continued to describe.

"Any questions?"

Both boys were slack-jawed at the display of information, but Virgil closed his mouth.

"Do ghosts all have the same powers?" He asked.

"Well all ghosts usually have the ability to fly, go through stuff which is called Intangibility, and become invisible at will. From there on it pretty much depends on what kind of ghost it is. Some can change form, use weapons, use telekinesis, etc. Some can even shoot ecto-blasts and ice rays." Virgil noted how Maddie's tone turned bitter at the last sentence.

"Are some powers better than others?" Richie asked.

"If you mean stronger, then yes, some are. There is a classification chart that goes by how powerful and dangerous a ghost is. It ranges from 1-10, 1 being merely an annoyance that can be taken care of easily-" Virgil thought he heard Danny mutter "Box ghost" at that point,

"-and 10 being a ghost that is too strong, and is capable of wiping out huge masses of humans at a time. Of course, there has never been any level 10s in history, so no one pays it much attention." Maddie said, waving off the concerned faces. Danny had suddenly gotten very quiet in the back.

"What about Danny Phantom? What level is he?" Virgil asked, finally getting to the point he had been trying to reach.

Both Maddie and Jack went rigid, as did Danny.

There was silence.

"Phantom…Phantom's different." Maddie said softly. If anybody had been looking, they would've seen Danny's head shoot up in alarm.

"Phantom has bounced between the numbers effortlessly over time. His power seems to increase almost every day. Currently he is a 8.15." She stated quietly. Both Richie and Virgil shared equal looks of surprise, and even Danny's face was shocked. He had never come out and asked, afraid they would somehow affiliate him with Phantom.

"But that's why we're here! Jack and I are going to bring down that filthy ghost kid right Jack?"

"Right Mads!" Both were suddenly renewed, so much that Jack shot up and his chair thudded to the ground. Maddie gave Jack a pointed look and sighing, he picked up the chair and set it up right once more.

Virgil felt a shiver run down his spine as he remembered what Maddie had said and her tone of voice. She had almost seemed…scared.

Nah!

"What are Danny Phantom's powers?" Richie asked excitedly.

"Well, he has intangibility, invisibility, the ability to fly, he can shoot ecto-blasts, make ice rays, he is also rather physically strong, and he can duplicate himself. We believe he can also make shields with his hands…and one more dangerous power." Maddie said, her voice lowering to a whisper.

"What is it?" Richie said, kina frightened by the tense atmosphere.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone else?" Jack asked.

"Of course!" Both answered immediately. The group leaned in closer, and Danny also subconsciously leaned in, though he was pretty sure he knew what they were talking about.

"Phantom can scream. But it's a special scream, one that has visible sound waves. When he does it can destroy practically anything in his path. But he rarely uses it, possibly because it drains him of energy. That's one of the reasons we have to catch him. We can't allow him to use that power." Maddie said with an air of finality.

Virgil blinked in shock. A scream that was that powerful? Phantom had seemed strong, but that strong?! He couldn't believe it. Suddenly Phantom's calm demeanor seemed so questionable, so unbelievable.

Yet Danny's face when he had been deep in thought swirled around in his head. He said he had had a lot of time to think about things…did that mean what he mostly thought about was himself? What he was, who he was? What kind of power he held?

"Thanks for your time." Virgil said suddenly, standing up.

"Come on Rich." Hands in pockets, Virgil walked out the door, Richie running after him in an effort to catch up.

Danny stared after them, his face an expressionless mask.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out." He shouted, then quickly ran out, turned the corner, and headed after the boys, his face one of pure determination.


	5. Holding Charges and Suspicions

**Holding Charges and Suspicions**

Danny sped after the boys, trying to keep the turquoise and orange striped t-shirt within his range of vision.

He didn't dare call after them, thinking Virgil would probably just speed up faster.

Danny turned the corner, and suddenly started to sprint. He knew he was tapping into his power, but he couldn't let them get away like this. He had to protect his name, and find out who Virgil really was!

One thing for sure…that kid was familiar. Too familiar.

Danny caught sight of his sweatshirt once more. The dreadlocks were kinda hard to miss as well.

Danny clamped a firm hand on Virgil's shoulder, getting him to jump high, and turn around startled. Why was he on the edge like this?

"We need to talk." Danny said seriously, looking straight into his eyes.

"Now." Danny demanded. Virgil opened his mouth to protest, but before he could Richie gave him a pointed look. Virgil looked down for a second, then muttered,

"Fine." Danny grinned.

"But-" Virgil started, and his face became exasperation.

"We talk at our hotel." Virgil stated. Danny paused to consider it, then nodded quickly. Virgil turned around abruptly, going at a fast pace. Danny scowled, then paced forward, surprising Virgil by keeping up very easily, while Richie raced after them.

--

"So Gramps, what exactly is it dat you want?" The teen said, lounging in the mayor's chair. Vlad gave him a angry glare, then straightened his tie and cleared his throat.

"Now Mr. Seeded-"

"That's C. Dead Gramps!" The teen barked, making Vlad's fists clench. Vlad's face however, remained a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Oh is it? I'm sorry, I'll be sure to get it right the next time. But moving on, I have a very important manner to speak to you about."

The teen grunted and cross his arms.

"Is that why you got ur fellas over there knock me out. gag me, and bring me to this fancy dig of yours?" The teen spat accusingly.

"I apologize Mr. Seeded. It was sadly necessary, as some of your friends probably wouldn't like it if you left. But I am in need of your…**special abilities.**"

The teen's head perked, and he folded his arms and sunk deep in the chair.

"Ain't got nothin' to do with me it ain't. You want some no-good to take care of ur dirty work, go to anothur hood, cuz I don't roll that way." C. Dead said, getting up and carefully examining one of Vlad's many priceless statues that decorated his office.

"Come now, let's be reasonable shall we?" Vlad said, grinding his teeth. Teenagers these days! Especially the ones from awful places like Dakota (AN: I personally have nothing against Dakota, so please DO NOT hate the AUTHOR!!!)

"I don't care wat u say gramps. All I know is, big blackie back home and fireball got changed, and I mean changed **bad** in the last Big Bang. I ain't getting involved in any of their leftover dirty work." C. Dead said, shaking his head violently.

"Well, surely there is someway I can…**persuade **you to help me. Unfortunately you're the only one who has the powers I am in need of." Vlad said carefully. This was simply a test of patience and will, he told himself.

"Ugh. I don't know why you'd want **my **powers, but then again, I don't really care. If you need some help Gramps, just talk to the big kahoona in Dakota…wat's his name? Oh yeah, Alva."

"DON'T SPEAK THAT FILTH'S NAME IN FRONT OF ME!" Vlad roared, losing his cool and hoisting C. Dead up by the collar of his greasy shirt.

C. Dead was a lean, gaunty dark-skinned teenager, as most were in the streets of Dakota. His shirt was dirty and sleeveless, his jeans barely hanging onto his thin figure, showing his baggy boxers as well. His hair was black, a slight contrast with his dark skin. His eyes however, were strange, a kind of silvery green that sparkled dangerously.

Those were the eyes that were now full of annoyance, but to Vlad's keen eye's delight, an undertone of fear.

Vlad tossed the teen back into his plush velvet chair, making a mental note to burn the piece of furniture later.

"As you can see Mr. Seeded, Alva and I do not get along very well, frankly because he is inferior to my company, but refuses to yield to our superiority. For that reason, I refuse to go to him, let alone **ask **him for something." Vlad said, and for a moment, his lips turned upwards in a cruel smile.

"Besides, ALVA Ind. will soon come to a sadly…abrupt end." Vlad said pleasantly.

Now the fear became slightly more unearthed, as C. Dead became aware that whom he was dealing with was more powerful than he had originally believed.

"Well, I didn't understand most of that Gramps, but I got the little-" At this point C. Dead made a gesture with his finger, slicing his neck and gurgling like he was dead "-message in there. So…my schedule ain't that fulled up, so why don't we just get with the tawking, and the paying, and then we'll see wat's going down." He said, mimicking Vlad's pleasant smile.

Vlad smiled in return and snapped his fingers. As seen in many villainous movies of evil sorts, a large man in a large suit came forward. His face betrayed no emotion as he set down a suitcase in front of C. Dead, who hesitated for a moment before opening the case.

Whatever he saw pleased him, for a toothy grin (which means a lot, for C. Dead's teeth were not all that toothy at all) appeared on his face as he snapped the case shut.

"**Mister **Gramps. You got urself a deal."

---

"So…what's up?" Virgil said, tossing a hackey sack back and forth between his hands. He saw cross-legged on his bed, Richie sitting on the side, and Danny sitting in a chair opposite them.

"Why'd you run out like that?" Danny asked suddenly his face completely serious.

Virgil and Richie, taken by surprise by the random question, looked up from the hackey sack, both suddenly feeling very self-aware.

"Uh…well…I, that is, **we**…um…what do you mean by that?" Virgil asked, hoping to stall.

"Exactly what I asked. You suddenly got all cold and ran out of the place like my parents were mad scientists! Granted, they are, but not like that!" Danny said, getting a little annoyed.

"Um…."

"Food!" Richie shouted suddenly.

"Huh?" Both Virgil and Danny echoed.

"I mean-Virgil needs a periodical food break! He can't live without his chilly cheese hot dog, can you Virge?" Richie hissed meaningfully.

"Uh-Yeah! I need me some chilly-cheese! Just my pangs of homesickness when I'm away from Dakota!" Danny looked at him skeptically then his eyes widened for a second.

"Wait…did you say Dakota?" Danny asked. Déjà vu flooded his sense, but he wasn't sure where he had heard it from before.

"Dakota? No! Of course we didn't! We said-Uh-Mahota!" Richie said, brain working on overtime as he slapped a hand over Virgil's mouth.

"Mahota…?" Danny asked once again skeptically. He wasn't that good at geography, but he was pretty sure he had heard Richie say Dakota.

"Yeah! Mahota: A southern part of Eastern New Mexico!" Danny felt his head getting confused, but Richie said it rather confidently.

"Alright then." Danny said suddenly, getting up and heading for the door.

"Where're you going?" Asked Virgil. Not that he wasn't happy Danny was leaving, but still…

"I'm heading home. My parents seemed kinda down when you left rather suddenly, so I just came to make sure you weren't mad at them or anything." Danny said, brushing some microscopic dust off his pants.

"Oh…tell them we're sorry." Virgil said.

"Yeah well, don't worry about it. That's pretty much the reaction of everybody who walks into our house, besides my friends. My parents don't like Danny Phantom, so if you really support him…" Danny trailed off, pushing the door open. He shrugged, turning around.

"Just don't try to bring him up again." Danny said. "See ya!" Then he walked out the door.

Virgil and Richie stared at the closed door for a while. Time passed, and Virgil noticed Richie giving him a pointed glare.

"What?" He snapped.

"Man V, could you be anymore obvious?! I mean, as soon as word gets out that Static Shock is here, and **working **with Danny Phantom no less, everyone's gonna get suspicious! You have to stop talking about where we're from or we're gonna get found out real fast!" Richie said.

"Chill out Rich! We came here to relax! I don't know about you, but that's what I plan on doing. And if anything, I don't think it was me who was being obvious!" Virgil said, putting his head in his pillow.

"What do you mean?" Richie asked.

"Danny. Nobody knows I came here yet, but he was all over me that we came from Dakota. When I was talking, it was like he was **really **listening, like someone else….but I can't remember who!" Virgil said, shaking his head confusedly.

"Look V, let's just lie low okay? At least until things die down a bit." Richie said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Virgil said, his face muffled by his pillow.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! GHOST!!!!!!!!" Someone yelled from outside the window of the hotel.

Virgil jumped up. Richie groaned.

"V, they're ghosts! We can't do anything! LIE LOW REMEMBER?!" He shouted.

"Aww come on Rich! Just one time! I just want to see Danny Phantom in action!" For a moment Virgil paused, the earlier conversation coming back to him. Then he shook his head to rid the thoughts. _"All that power…"_

"Fine then. But, just **once, **you got that?" Richie asked.

"Yeah, yeah, come one let's go!" Virgil said distractedly, climbing out the window and onto the fire escape.

"All I wanted, was a peaceful summer, but nooooo." Richie muttered, throwing away the television remote he had been holding. It flopped on the bed, but not before turning on the TV.

Too bad Richie was already out on the fire escape with Virgil. Otherwise, he might not have gone.

On the news was the police capturing the thieves from last night. But the main attraction was on the ceiling.

A still sparkling P in a D sign, and a circle with a thunderbolt inside it.

The message was clear, said the news lady, Static had come to Amity Park.

And he had met Danny Phantom.

**I'm really on a roll here! I've been wanting to rake in as many reviews as possible, but I also really want to write more!!!! Darn my need for readers, and darn my need for writing!!! Or….I could do homework….REVIEW!!! REVIEW LIKE THE WIND!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!XD**

**Artgirl4! **


	6. Playing With Ectoplasm

**Playing with Ectoplasm**

"This was a bad idea V, a bad idea…" Richie chanted.

"Lighten up man! We're on vacation remember!"

"Exactly what part of this even **resembles **vacation?! You know the definition of vacation?! A period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday, and guess what?! THIS ISN'T A SUSPENSION FROM WORK IF WE **ARE** WORKING!" Richie shouted, losing his cool. It was understandable though, as he was currently being held by two green ghosts, covered in police cop armor.

"Well…at least we're seeing some new faces!" Static offered, smiling with his eyebrows raised and an optimistic smile. Richie stared at him then looked at the sky.

"We're doomed! Doomed!" He whined softly.

"Put a cork in it!" The ghost holding him said, the other one nodding.

"Alright. Just answer me one thing."

"What?!" The guard snapped.

"Do those weapons of yours run on natural energy, or ectoplasmic energy that it sucks straight from your surrounding area, or is it connected directly to your home so it can operate without a single unit?" The guards stared at him for a long moment.

"Umm…you'd probably have to ask Walker about that one."

"Yeah…we just have to wave them around, not know their mechanics…geek."

"Sorry, it's a habit of his." Static apologized, also held by two other guards.

"Yeah, well, you need to get him fixed. I mean, come on, what's with the helmet, not to mention that weird metal turtle shell on his back."

"Actually, **he **has a name." Richie said. The guards raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, its actually STEAL-THE-BAR-5107-COMMAND-3553914" Richie said. The guards looked at him blankly.

"Also known as BACKPACK! ACTIVATE!" The machine instantly whirred to life, its claws extending to grab the two green bars on the ghosts' belts. On instinct, both went intangible, but the bars were left behind in Backpack's grip, who immediately threw them to Richie.

Richie pulled both of them out and shot them forward at the ghosts' holding Static, finding that they were both binded immediately.

"Nice shooting Rich!" Static said, high-fiving him.

"It's all in the aim. Kinda like the Wild-West simulation on my laptop." Richie twirled the bar and blew the ecto-steam of the top stylishly.

"Pardner." He finished. Virgil laughed and shook his head, patting him on the back.

"I really **do **need to get you fixed. I think we can leave the ghosts here for Danny Phantom." They were about to leave when the two other ghosts who had had Richie phased behind them.

"Watch out!" Both boys whirled around, only to have Danny Phantom land in front of them, ectoblasts already blasting the two ghosts away.

Danny reached for something in his belt, whipping it out and sucking both ghosts and the captive ones into it, capping it, and pushing it back into his belt as fast as possible.

"You guys did an awesome job with those ghosts. I'm really impressed!" Danny said, and his eyes showed his awe as he turned to them. Both boys were too busy gawking.

"Sorry I couldn't come earlier, Vl-Someone sent me a decoy. Hey you must be Gear!" Danny said, shaking the boy's limp hand. Richie stuttered.

"Ye-Yea-Yeah th-they call me G-Gegege-I mean Gea-What you said." Virgil smirked.

"Hey Danny!" Both guys high-fived.

"Wh-Why would they send you a decoy?" Virgil asked, eyes getting wide with realization.

"You don't mean-"

"Yeah. I do." Danny nodded grimly.

"The public is already aware you guys are here. I know you guys came here on vacation and everything (and this point Richie glared at Virgil, who shrugged innocently. How much did he know?) but…something's after you here. And if its ghosts…I'm pretty sure who." Richie's brow furrowed.

"But if its ghosts, wouldn't it just be themselves?"

"What you saw just now were lackeys. They're controlled by Walker, a dead prison ward who anointed himself head of the Prison in the ghost zone as well."

"So Walker is the one behind this?" Virgil asked. Danny shook his head.

"Not likely. Walker wouldn't come after me, let alone you guys unless I "broke the rules" or basically came into his part of the ghost zone. What would he want with two superheroes who never did him wrong? No, I'm pretty sure the one who's behind this is someone with more ties, more areas to control in the ghost zone." Richie bumped Virgil, then pointed with his eyes.

Virgil followed his line of vision and saw it. Danny's fists were clenched, and his eyes had narrowed. Something went sour in Virgil's stomach.

"Plasmius." Danny said firmly, turning to Virgil and Richie.

"Who?" Both chorused.

"Plasmius. He's my arch-enemy basically, someone who wants to exploit me for his own needs."

"We feel ya dude." Virgil said, sighing as he put his arm around Danny's shoulder. Danny looked at him quizzically.

"Definitely been there, definitely done that." Richie said, nodding.

Danny looked between them for a long time, then suddenly looked down.

"Phhft!" Both boys' head snapped up and looked at each other, alarmed. They looked down at Danny.

"Um…Danny? You okay?"

"HAHHAAHAHAH!" Both boys jumped, and looked closer. Danny was bent over. His hand covered his mouth as he unsuccessfully tried to stifle his laughter, eyes closed.

"So-sorry! I'm-I'm not laughing (HAHAH!) at you! I just-(HAha!), can't help-(HA!Ha!)!"

It took a while for Danny to get his composure back. Both Virgil and Richie felt their faces get red, regardless of his reassurance that he was truly, **not** laughing at them.

"Sorry about that, I was rude. It's just…not often I talk to other superheroes. It's really funny that we're relating over our arch-enemies plots." He chuckled a little.

It dawned on Richie and Virgil slowly, but surely. How often was it that this guy talked to anyone…who knew what it was like? They had each other, but how often did he get to socialize, share his adventures, just talk to other people, let alone heroes?!

"Anyway, you guys should head back to your hotel (Richie's head whipped around to stare in shock at Virgil, who innocently whistled again), and I'll see whether I can track him down." At that last sentence, Danny shrugged.

"Well…okay." Virgil conceded, Richie staring at him in shock. With a silencing glare from Static, Virgil and Richie both took off without complaints, Danny waving behind them.

As soon as they left, Danny crossed his arms, sombering immediately.

"You've been here the whole time, huh Vlad?" The black figure appeared, smirking behind the boy.

"You've gotten better Daniel. I'm duly impressed-" Vlad was still smirking when Danny pushed him into the brick wall, pinning him down at his shoulder.

"Leave them out of this!" Danny said. Vlad rolled his eyes.

"Quite to the point, aren't we? Well, of course they aren't my aim boy." Vlad said carelessly. However, his eyes narrowed and in under a few seconds, Danny was pinned against the brick wall, Vlad's smile now malicious.

"However, having them as a side trophy…isn't quite a bad deal now is it?" He hissed. Danny's eyes widened as Vlad let him go, walking away casually.

"You're still 20 years too early to be overpowering me Daniel, let alone outsmarting me! And let me tell you my dear boy, I do not intend on pulling a "Technus" as you so thoughtfully call it."

"Hey! I resent that!" A nerdy voice called out from the depths of the ghost zone.

"I don't need to know your plan to beat you Vlad. I've done it before, and I'll do it again."

Vlad's eyes narrowed.

"You will never truly beat me Daniel. After all, I'm still here aren't I?" Danny flinched.

"Besides, if you have no idea what I'm planning, how can you be prepared for when I attack, hmmm? How do you know you aren't walking into one of my little traps right now?" Vlad asked in a silky, conceited tone.

"Enough with the mind games. Vlad." Danny said, stepping back.

"Just remember this: Not even me, if you mess with Static and Gear, there will be others in Dakota coming after you. Word will get out." Danny said, glaring.

For a moment Vlad's smile faltered, then he was grinning with glint in his eyes once more.

"And who's to say I don't want that?"

"Leave them alone!" Danny said, once more, then he disappeared. Vlad made sure he was gone for good using his ghostly senses, then checked the area, changing back quickly. He walked over to a stretch limo operated by one of his ghostly employees, but not before grimacing and rubbing his shoulder.

"The boy is getting stronger." He admitted. He smirked down at his hand, where between his forefinger and thumb a small silver strand of hair lay.

"I'll just have to fix that, now won't I?"

---

"Hey Virg, why did we just leave?" Richie asked as they headed back for the alley behind their hotel.

"Did Danny seem…a little distracted to you?"

"No I don't think so…why?"

"I think there was someone else there. Danny seemed to want us out of there, and fast." Virgil said, swerving to the side so he didn't hit a street lamp.

"Really? Are you sure you aren't just imagining things?"

Virgil sighed.

"I don't know Rich. Recently I feel like I've been pretty paranoid, but something in my gut keeps telling me Danny's hiding something."

"Danny Phantom?"

"Well yeah, and…"

"V, Danny Fenton's a teenager like us, all teenagers have secrets!" Richie said, knowing where he was going.

"I know, I know, it's just…I don't know."

"Virgil, we're in a town where ghosts and nightmares can easily come true! If Danny **is **hiding a secret, maybe it's for a good reason! Why should we get involved anyway?" Richie asked, waving his arms. They landed in the alley.

"…Something's going on Rich. I don't know what, but I have a bad feeling that we're gonna find out."

"With Danny F, or Danny P?"

"…I don't know."

---

Danny landed inside his living room, currently uninhabited except for one older sister, who was lying on the sofa with a large book on Someone's or something's Doctrine.

Jazz looked up as Danny landed, pressed a corner down on her page and closed the book.

"Hey."

"Hey." Jazz raised an eyebrow at the flat voice.

"You okay?"

"Just…tired."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Danny sat down with a sigh on the couch as Jazz retracted her legs to make room.

"Have you ever felt like you were missing something?"

"Danny, we've been over this, if you like Sam, just tell her-"

"Jazz!" Danny broke in, blushing.

"I don't mean that." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. Jazz raised her eyebrows.

"Something must be really wrong. You're not denying your crush!"

Danny sighed. Jazz put her hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

"Like you were out of the loop, that's what I meant." Jazz scooted back, crossing her legs on the couch, and thought for a moment.

"Yeah, kinda like when I didn't know your secret. You and your friends would be off somewhere, doing something I never knew about…it almost made me feel a little lonely." She smiled softly at him.

"Why?" She asked, her eyes mildly curious.

"There're these two kids. They came here on vacation, and for some reason we seem to be running into each other a lot."

"…Well where are they from?"

"Mahota."

"My-whatta?"

"Mahota. A southern part of eastern New Mexico, or an eastern part of Southern, I don't know."

"Weird…I don't recall hearing of that place before."

"Yeah, neither have I."

"Well, what's wrong with meeting up with them?"

"They're ghost fanatics." Jazz's eyebrows shot up and she placed the book on the table, got up, and checked the basement door.

After doing that she sat down next to Danny, turned to face him and asked,

"How much so?"

"Enough…to be suspicious." Jazz looked at him in shock.

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty much."

"Well…then you'll just have to be careful around them."

"I was. In fact, I acted normally. I even got pounded by Dash!"

"**What?!" **Danny winced.

"I got punched in the stomach. That's it Jazz. But he was aiming for my head."

"And you ducked super-fast?"

"More like twisted around a little. Like I turned in fright and it hit my stomach."

"And then?"

"I doubled-over and gasped painfully."

"Well you aren't the best of actors…" Jazz trailed off speculatively. Danny grunted, and Jazz smiled sympathetically. She crossed her legs and patted her lap, and after a hesitant moment, Danny put his head down on it, laying the rest of his body across the couch. Jazz started to twirl his hair in a relaxing manner.

"If I'm not a good actor then the people in this town are morons…not counting you of course." He quickly amended.

"Well think about it. A lot of these people know you Danny. You have an image, as the gawky, teenage boy of the two self-proclaimed amazing ghost hunters. That's all they'll ever really see until you truly do something out of the ordinary…with someone around to witness it." Danny nodded, turning his head and glancing at her.

"Ignoring that you called me gawky, your point is…?"

"These two kids came from out of town. They don't know anything about you. So maybe when you do small things, like avoiding a punch or running very fast, that's how you build your personality around them. That's how they see you, because they don't know how else to. They don't know you stink at math, or you were never that athletic, or that you (at least used to) stink at ghost hunting."

"Mmm…" Jazz's brow furrowed.

"But that's not the entire problem, is it?" Danny shook his head, freeing her hands from his hair.

"Something's off with the both of them. I don't know what it is, but-"

"Danny you have no leads. They're two teenagers, and frankly, I think you have more to be worried about than that." Danny raised an eyebrow and looked up at her.

"Such as?" Jazz crossed her arms and fixed him with a look. She switched on the television where a news report was playing. On the box towards the top right there was a picture of an electric Static Shock and Danny Phantom signal.

"How about that?" Danny sighed, putting his arms behind his head.

"When did you plan on telling me? Did you meet Gear too? Why are they here? Are they okay with you? Did anything bad happen?" Danny listened respectively as she ranted.

"Finished?" He asked. She glared at him.

"I met him yesterday Jazz. I was going to tell you, I just got a little caught up with Virgil and Richie, the two boys I told you about."

"Well?"

Danny shook his head.

"They came here on a vacation, though I'm guessing to meet me too. They ended up helping me catch a few thugs and beat a few ghosts. And now Vlad's been added to the mix, apparently with another scheme to get me." Jazz stiffened.

"And his plan is…?"

"No idea. But I think it involves Static and Gear and I don't want anything to happen to them. I'm going to find them and get them out of here before it all blows up in my face."

"And if they refuse?" Danny sighed again. Jazz looked at her poor brother with eyes of sadness.

"They won't have a choice. I don't know Jazz, it's like this huge puzzle filled with a ton of dots all scrambled together. But I just don't know how and where to connect them." Jazz nodded.

"It's always been like that Danny. I guess you have to give it time."

"But when it's something I don't have?" He looked to his older sister for guidance. Jazz patted his head.

"Then you end up getting a big scribble. One you'll have to untangle. So follow what you do know. If Vlad's hatching a plot, catch him in the act. If two teenagers are acting weird, ask them about it. Find those lines and connect the dots that count." Danny groaned. He turned his head and grumbled against his sister's leg.

"This was supposed to be my summer break." Jazz grinned and ruffled his hair.

"I have a feeling whatever you're dreading is going to occur soon. And when it does, I'm sure you'll have enough prior notice to be prepared." Danny raised his head.

"But what or who will I understand first?"

"You mean with Static Shock or these Virgil and Richie persons?"

"…Yeah, one of them. But which…I don't know."

**Long time coming, I know. But you guys may or may not (I hope so) be relieved to know I'm working out the kinks of the next chapter for Finding Danielle, and a few one-shots for Here's to the Hero as well! Ah, O Summer, dear time of working and jobs and making money and exhaustion and fanfic writing. O Summer dearest….don't leave me!!!**

**Artgirl4! **


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